BITS & BOBS

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

First and foremost I want to wish Susie a Happy Birthday! I am so happy I met her and we fell in love. She fills my life with love and adventure. I look forward to many more years together, traveling the world, sharing each others company and just living life together.

My son has his birthday tomorrow and I am very proud of what he has become in his life. He is well liked by anyone who crosses his path. Micah’s girlfriend Jesse and I took the two out to dinner last night and we had a great time together. Micah turns 29 tomorrow and we were talking about celebrating his entry into a new decade next year, with a trip to Vegas. The planning has begun. At dinner last night we, of course, enjoyed wine with our meals. Susie and Jesse had bubbles, while Micah and I took care of a bottle of Thurston Wolfe Family Red. At the end of the meal, Micah and I each ordered up a glass of Fidelitas 4040 Red. The wine was stunning! Deep, concentrated and complex. We each took the first sip out of our glass and just looked at each other with a little touch of awe. Charlie Hoppes, owner and winemaker at Fidelitas is coming to the island as a guest at one of my tasting events in April. I am really excited to have him up. After drinking the 4040, that excitement intensified.

While dining, a regular customer of mine at the store sauntered up to our table with a bottle of wine in his hand and asked if I could order up a case of it for him. I told him he might want to know the price before he committed. I mentioned it was around thirty dollars a bottle and he back-peddled immediately. He is a great guy and I know his preferred budget for wine purchases. There isn’t a lot of us who can spring for a case of wine at that price. There was one thing he said that caught my attention. After telling him the price, he said…”No wonder it was so good.” That begs the question. Does price drive quality?

I have been in the wine business for many years, and I have built a reputation for finding wines that are not only well-made but also well-priced. I have had great success finding wines that are amazing for under twenty bucks. It’s not to say that wines over that price are not amazing as well. The point is, that price does not always dictate quality. I have had many wines in the 40-80 dollar range that was to say the least, disappointing. Now, there are reasons why wine of high quality is expensive. Cost of fruit is a big reason. Quality fruit is key for producing quality wine. For instance, if a winemaker chooses to, he or she can spend up to $4,000 a ton to get what they consider the best fruit. If they don’t screw it up during the winemaking process, they will most likely come out with a stellar wine. Of course, the price of the fruit has to be reflected in the cost of the bottle of wine, or they couldn’t stay in business for very long. Oak barrels, equipment, consultation among other things will dictate the price of a bottle of wine. Not all of those things are necessary to make good wine, except for the quality of fruit, that is of utmost importance. Quality fruit can be found in many places without forking out $4,000 a ton. Some feel that in order to charge a lot for their wines, they need to have Napa Valley or Walla Walla Valley on their labels. I have customers who will only buy wines from these appellations. Personally, I hope you never get stuck in that kind of rut. Wine does not have to be expensive to be quality and just because it is expensive does not mean it is of high quality.

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FRIDAY’S THIRTEEN

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Stan The Wine Man

A boatload of wine

A boatload of wine

In a weeks time, I taste a boatload of wine (seriously). I lot of my friends think I’m lucky. Well, they’re right, and I wouldn’t give this job up for the world. The only thing that makes my job hard, is my feeling of responsibility to taste the samples given to me as quickly as possible and to put my reviews either in my Moleskine, on my Youtube channel (Stan The Wine Man TV), or right here on Stanthewineman.com. Here for your reading pleasure, are thirteen wines that I have reviewed in my Moleskine (good or bad), this past week.

2015 L’Ecole Perigee Seven Hills Vineyard (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $55.

A touch candied on the nose with aromas of licorice and currants with a little spice action underneath. Currants and blackberries on the palate, supported by edgy, slightly gritty tannins. Tobacco notes with a pinch of veggie sneak in on the lengthy finish. 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot (B+/A-)

2014 L’Ecole Apogee Pepperbridge Vineyard (Walla Walla Valley, WA)… $55.

Tobacco, currants and BBQ spices on the nose with a hit of red flowers and a little alcohol coming through. Solid currant and boysenberry notes up front on smooth, structured tannins. Blueberry notes come through on the mid-palate into the long fresh finish with a hit of chocolate on the back-end. Good balance and structure. 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc (A-/A)

2016 Cadaretta SBS (Columbia Valley, WA)… $23.

Stinky melon notes on the nose with a kiss of fresh-cut grass. =Melon notes on the palate with grapefruit and white pepper notes sneaking in. Good balance of acidity and fruit. Grass notes sneak in on the clean, fresh finish. 67% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Semillon (B+)

2013 Cadaretta Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA)… $40.

Perfumed currants on the nose (almost soaplike) with a splash of licorice and tobacco. Chewy on the palate with notes of currants, tobacco and leather on serious tannins. Chocolate notes join up on the mid-palate with spice notes hitting on the finish where the acidity sneaks out. Good integration of acidity, fruit and tannins. This is a young pup and will age well over the next 10 to 15 years. (A)

2014 Cadaretta Windthrow Red (Columbia Valley, WA)… $55.

Almost bloody on the nose (no pun intended), with notes of raspberries, cherries, vanilla, mocha and chocolate. Solid cherry notes on the palate with a big hit of smoke and tobacco on seriously chewy tannins. It gets somewhat fresh in the mouth on the mid-palate into the finish where leather notes and gritty mineral notes join the palate party. Crushed rock notes linger. This is a baby and needs more time in the bottle, maybe five more years. 76% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 9% Grenache (B+/A-)

2017 Espelt Garnacha Blanca (Emporda, Spain)… $12.

Aromas of melon, backed by light apple, tangerine and roasted nuts. Creamy mouth-feel up front with notes of apple and tangerine, joined by slight wet stone notes on the mid-palate into an apple driven finish with a kiss of white pepper. (C+)

2017 Black’s Station Chardonnay (Yolo County, CA)… $10.

Ginger, pears and apple on the nose. A touch of butter and a burnt element comes through on the palate with peach notes sneaking in on the back-end. Finishes fresh with a kiss of citrus. (B-)

2014 Vermell Tinto (Valencia, Spain)… $11.

Aromas of red flowers, crushed red brick, red berries and blackberries with a hit of licorice. Plush on the front of the palate, with notes of blackberries, red cherries and a little tobacco and earth thrown in. The tannins start off slick and then get a little grit to them. Bark and tobacco notes dominate on the finish with the acidity giving a little “pop” on the back-end. (B-/B)

2016 Black’s Station Red (Yolo County, CA)… $10.

Blackberries and licorice notes in spades on the nose with a hit of ginger coming through. Nicely intense notes of cinnamon, ginger and blackberries on the palate with a little dirt underneath. Fresh and intense at the same time with good balance of acidity and fruit with well-integrated tannins. Ginger and licorice notes linger on the finish. 65% Malbec, 18% Petit Verdot, 17% Petite Sirah (B-/B)

2016 Black’s Station Malbec (Yolo County, CA)… $10.

Red licorice, candied plums and chocolate on the nose. Plums and cherries on the palate, supported by well-integrated acidity with a kiss of baking spices and white pepper. Licorice and milk chocolate notes hit on the back-end where the acidity gives it a little lift on the finish that reminds me of a chocolate graham cracker sandwich. (C+/B-)

2016 Black’s Station Cabernet Sauvignon (California)… $10.

A little coughdrop action on the nose with slight notes of currants and dark red flowers. Dark cherry and currant notes hit on the palate, supported by gritty tannins. The fruit expands on the mid-palate than thins out on the fresh finish that has a little stem action. Almost cough syrup-like but not quite. Warm going down on the finish. (C)

2017 Thomas Henry Chardonnay (Napa Valley, CA)… $13.

Baking spices and pear on the nose with a slight hit of apple. Butter and pear notes front to finish on the palate with a kiss of butterscotch and baking spices. A little oak dust component sneaks in on the mid-palate. (C+)

2016 Brooks Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley, OR)… $27.

Aromas of black tea, earth and cherries with a hit of strawberries, Root Beer and red flowers. Chewy cherry notes on the palate with a little cherry skin thrown in. Smooth and structured with Asian spices and Root Beer notes lying underneath. Red flower and tea notes come through on the mid-palate into the finish where cherry and Asian spice notes linger. Nice long finish. (A-)

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

I am finishing strong in 2018! I chose my “Winery Of The Year” Longship Cellars located in the tri-cities in Washington State. As I mentioned last week, I once again put out my “Top Forty Wines Under Twenty Bucks.” My #1 wine is a 2015 Bordeaux which I re-tasted and confirmed to myself its deserved spot in the line-up. I will be putting a few bottles in my cellar to see how they age. I am thinking another eight-plus years will do the trick. Check out the list here, you may want to snag a couple of bottles for yourself.

I also finished the year strong with my Youtube channel. I have consistently uploaded a new episode every Tuesday and Friday for at least two-plus months and I don’t foresee that changing in 2019. The last two featured the wines from Longship Cellars, you may want to check them out. I am also very jazzed about the support I am getting on this channel both in increased subscribers and comments. It really encourages me to continue to improve it and add solid, valuable content. I want to thank all of you for your enthusiastic and consistent support. You are the reason I keep all of this up.

Bordeaux has experienced back-to-back stellar vintages in 2015 and ’16. For those of you who like Bordeaux wine this is very encouraging. If you can afford the 1st growth producers, you will want to jump all over these. However, for folks like myself, I look for the value reds and whites from this region. My #1 wine in 2018 is a very good example. Great vintages usually mean that most if not all the wine from the region will reflect the quality of that vintage. I find that most that fall in the fifteen to thirty dollar range are what you should look for in value wines. Surprisingly, you will often be pleasantly surprised by some in the ten dollar range as well. At the store, I also have a classic example of what 2016 has to offer up and it’s only fourteen bucks. Come see me and I will point it out to you. If you are not from my neck of the woods, check out my “Pick Of The Week” on the Blue Collar Wine Guy blog the first Sunday of 2019. Happy New Year to all! Have a safe and fun New Years Eve.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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BITS & BOBS

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Stan The Wine Man

Merry Christmas everyone! I want to wish you happy holidays with good friends, wine and food. Have a wonderful time with your family. We are about to enter a new year with much to look forward to. We live in interesting times, but if we stay positive, and be kind to others, our own world will be a better place. I thought it was interesting that one of my co-workers mentioned that everyone is so nice this time of year and wondered why it can’t be that way all year. I told her that it is for me, so what’s wrong with her. I was kidding with her of course, but the point is, it’s how we look at things that make a difference. I plan on being kinder and more positive in 2019. I know I can’t change the world, but I can make my own world better for me and those around me.

I accomplished a lot in December. My ,”Top Forty Wines Under Twenty bucks” list is out there. Fortunately, I was able to attain a couple of cases of my #1 wine of the year. If you want to get your hands on some, you know where to look. I have also have been very consistent in uploading Youtube episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Christmas Day will be an episode featuring my “Winery of the Year” Longship Cellars. I am very excited about their wines and look forward to future vintages from them. For all those in my hometown, I have many of their wines at the store if you would like to give them a try. I think you will agree with me that they are a solid value and high quality. I am feeling energized to keep up with my wine blogging and with my Youtube channel. I very much appreciate all your support. I look forward to 2019 and hope I can continue to help you spend your wine dollars wisely, entertain and educate.

Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man

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